


Someday (I love you in present tense)

by Novaviis



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Bittersweet, F/M, Fluff, Short & Sweet, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:21:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22793908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novaviis/pseuds/Novaviis
Summary: It’s the last good night before everything goes to hell. Not that they know it at the time. They don’t know sitting around the fire that evening as the sun’s colour drains from the sky, that this is the last night they’ll have with none of the injured, ill, stressed or scared. They’re closing in on Naraku, the threads are all pulling together, but they don’t know that.Tonight is just a good night.Everyone is thinking about the hopeful future - everyone but Inuyasha.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 52





	Someday (I love you in present tense)

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise, I write for Inuyasha.

It’s the last good night before everything goes to hell. Not that they know it at the time. They don’t know sitting around the fire that evening as the sun’s colour drains from the sky, that this is the last night they’ll have with none of the injured, ill, stressed or scared. They’re closing in on Naraku, the threads are all pulling together, but they don’t know that.

Tonight is just a good night.

They’ve set up camp on the banks of a slow river, the water passing in a calm stream, the surface glassy, reflecting starlight and the glow of the fire. They caught fish, and even managed to get some rice and vegetables from the last village they helped – practically a feast. The five of them sit around the fire, bellies full and bodies relaxed from the day’s travelling. Shippo is curled up, asleep on Kirara’s larger form, burrowed into her long fur. Kirara purrs, a soft rumbling, as she snoozes by the fire, every bit as lazy and content as a housecat.

Sango is telling them a story about the first time she rode on Kirara as a young girl, how excited she’d been to finally fly with her family’s guardian. Kirara had been a constant companion and protector since she was a baby, and so young Sango had been entirely comfortable with her – and maybe a little too confident. She hadn’t been more than 8 years old at the time, and had practically jumped onto Kirara’s back, boasting to her father how she would master this on her first try, that _of course_ Kirara would _obey_ her. Kirara had taken it upon herself to put some humility in the overzealous young girl and had proceeded to fly so wildly that Sango was just barely holding on by a fistful of fur. On a harsh flip, Sango’s grip had failed and she’d started falling. Kirara had caught with ease, and gently returned her to the ground, before turning and flicking her tails in the girl’s face just for good measure. It’d been a lesson Sango never forgot.

And as she tells the story to her friends around the fire that night, all of them laughing along and jeering at her, Sango is bright and at ease. She rarely indulges the others in stories from her childhood, memories of her family often still too fresh and painful to recount. But tonight is a good night. So, she does. Kirara cracks an eye open and chuffs, gently flicking one of her tails in Sango’s face just to tease, before letting out a roaring yawn and napping again.

Miroku is staring at her all the while like her laughter alone could put a hault to the rampant wars. He has his arm around her, behaving himself, and she’d leaning comfortably against his side. Across the fire, Inuyasha as leaning back against a tree trunk in his usual cross-legged-arms-folded position, but even he has a relaxed posture. Kagome is sprawled out on her sleeping back, laying on her stomach with her pillow under her chest as she laughs along with Sango.

“I miss that,” Sango says with a content sigh as she snuggles in further against Miroku, who is all too happy to oblige. “Not the falling part, but just… flying with her. Just for the sake of it. On nights like these, we used to fly up to the mountains just to sit on the top and look at the stars. It was always so clear up there.”

“It’s not like there’s anything stopping you,” Inuyasha grunts from across the fire, though there is no noticeable malice in his tone. Even his voice is gentle in the quiet of the night. “Why don’t you just go back? Even just for a night.”

But Sango shakes her head. “No, there’s just been no chance to lately. And with how active the demon presence has been across the land… it’d be more trouble than it’s worth for such a silly little thing.”

“It’s not silly,” Kagome says earnestly. “It obviously means a lot to you.”

Sango offers her a smile. “Someday,” she says. “Someday I’ll go back, but not until our task is completed. Then, I’ll go up to the mountains near the Taijiya Village as often as Kirara and I want, and watch the stars. It’s like no other view in the world up there. On clear nights, you can see all the way to the ocean, and every single star moving across the sky.” Tilting her head back, she beams up at Miroku. “I’d love to take you up there.”

“I’d love nothing more to go with you,” Miroku smiles back, rubbing his hand up and down her forearm. The sky is clear tonight, but there were wisps of clouds floating across the stars, and the trees are tall and full. Beautiful, nonetheless. Miroku’s expression turns pensive. “It won’t be too long now,” he says, speaking aloud what everyone is thinking. One way or another, this will all be over soon, and none of them can predict what will happen, how and if they will all come out. They all know this – but Miroku doesn’t say that. Instead, he holds Sango a little closer. “When it is,” he says, “I would like to return to Mushin’s temple for a while. I will have much to be thankful for, and even more to pray for,” Miroku adds with a light, mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Monk,” Sango nudges him with her elbow.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Miroku surrenders with a laugh. “I wouldn’t want to stay for too long, though. Somehow, I cannot imagine living anywhere but in Kaede’s village.”

Sango’s smile only brightens at that idea, and the implications of it. “Neither can I.”

“That does sound nice,” Kagome sighs happily. She rolls onto her back, stretching her arms over her head and closing her eyes. The soft heat of the fire warms her skin, but the midnight breeze is cool and refreshing. “Once this is all over, I’ll finally have a chance to catch up on my school work. Maybe I’ll still be able to get into a good high school. But I’ll be honest,” she trails off for a moment, opening her eyes to stare up at the sky, “I think I’d just be… bored. After everything I’ve seen and done here, the thought of going back to a normal life just seems dull.”

“It sounds safe,” Inuyasha corrected, casting a glare down at her.

Kagome cracks an upside-down smile at him, reaching up to poke him in the thigh. “Same thing.”

Inuyasha scoffs but doesn’t say another word.

“Well,” Kagome shrugs, folding her arms under her head, long black hair spilling over her pillow, “hopefully, the Bone Eater’s Well will still let me through… I would miss you all too much. I’m not ready to say goodbye just yet.” Ever the optimist, Kagome smiled to herself and watched a cloud drift lazily across the full, bright moon. “But… at least it’ll all be over. The jewel will be whole, and Naraku won’t be able to hurt anyone else. A lot of people will be safe. If nothing else, that’s enough for me.”

“You’ve grown so much since we first started travelling, Lady Kagome,” Miroku says.

Kagome turns her head towards him and flashes a cheeky smile from across the fire. “Why, thank you for noticing,” she nods her head.

Sango lifts her hand to her mouth as she laughs, before looking to their only companion who hadn’t yet shared. “What about you, Inuyasha?” she asks. “What do you look forward to, when this is all over?”

But Inuyasha doesn’t reply. His arms seem to be held a little tighter across his chest, and his gaze into the fire is unwavering. The firelight makes the gold of his eyes glow brighter.

Sango frowns, thinking that he hadn’t heard her. “Inuyasha?”

“It’s late,” Inuyasha cuts her off abruptly. Feigning nonchalance, he stretches his arms behind his back and rises to his feet. His movements are sharp, his voice forced. “We have a long way to go tomorrow. Get some sleep. I’ll take the first watch.” With that, he turns and walks off toward the river bank.

The other three exchange looks – there is no mistaking it, they all know that Inuyasha had avoided the question. Still, he’s already stalked away, and it isn’t worth prodding. So, they gradually turn in for the night, letting the fire burn down as they settle down to rest. Inuyasha is right, they do have a long journey ahead of them, and it is already well into the night. Miroku and Sango end up asleep together, wrapped up loosely in each other’s arms as they recline against Kirara. Kagome, for her part, does drift off after snuggling down into her sleeping bag, perfectly comfortable and sleepy.

But she isn’t asleep for long. Or, at least, it doesn’t feel like long. It seems like she’d only closed her eyes for a second when she opens them to find the fire nothing but a pile of slowing embers. She yawns, turning over and sitting upright. It takes a moment for her eyes to adjust in the dark. Miroku and Sango are still sleeping, Kirara and Shippo as well. But Inuyasha is nowhere to be seen.

Not at first, anyway. As Kagome turns toward the river, she sees the outline of him, sitting at the edge of the water, illuminated by the bright moonlight shining off the river like a mirror. Slowly crawling out of her sleeping back, she stands and walks toward him.

He knows she’s approaching, though he makes no acknowledgement. Kagome can see his ears twitching in her direction. Kneeling down beside him, she lays her hand on his back and leans forward to see his face.

“Inuyasha?” she whispers. “Are you…”

She doesn’t finish. Doesn’t need to, she already knows the answer. Inuyasha looks back at her, and for the first time she’s ever seen, he looks… unsure of himself. Scared, almost, but that isn’t quite the right word. He looks lost.

That’s all it takes. Kagome understands. This is the look of a boy who never expected to get this far. Who never thought about a future beyond his short term goals, because he’d never figured there was a point. What had once been so clear to him was now… well, nothing close to what he’d thought it’d be. Inuyasha once believed that possessing the Sacred Jewel would solve all of his problems, that all he needed was to be a full blooded demon, and then everything would be okay – but at that time, he’d never actually thought through _how_ that would work. He never thought about what he would do after.

And now that Inuyasha knows that becoming a full demon isn’t what he wants, his singular focus has been destroying Naraku. Everything will be fine after that, surely. But the part that comes after is somehow more unclear now that it’s ever been. Inuyasha doesn’t know how to deal with even the _hope_ of a future he never thought he would have.

He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t move away when Kagome stares back at him, slipping her hand up to cradle his cheek. Maybe it’s just her imagination, but she can almost feel him lean into her palm.

Kagome does not say a word. She crawls into his lap, sitting between his legs and leaning back against his shoulder. Gently taking his arms, she guides them around her waist, and holds them there, holding her hands on top of his.

They really are an odd pair, Kagome things as her eyes shut. A girl who didn’t belong in the past, and a boy who didn’t have a future. Maybe that was why the present meant so much to her. Whatever happened next, they had right now. They had this moment, this night. If they held onto that, maybe the future wouldn’t have to be so daunting.

Eventually, Kagome felt her body grow heavy, falling asleep safe and content in Inuyasha’s arms. And, it may have just been her imagination, but she could have sworn she felt Inuyasha press his lips against her head just moments before she drifted off.

**Author's Note:**

> [「TWITTER」](https://twitter.com/novaviis) [「TUMBLR」](https://novaviis.tumblr.com) [「INUYASHA TUMBLR」](https://inuyashasforest.tumblr.com)


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